Comments by Szymanowski

101. It's no wonder evangelical atheists need to shout so loud

Comment #238014 by Szymanowski on August 27, 2008 at 1:58 pm

Second, they know full well that their own arguments are so weak that they have to obscure this fact with a high-decibel diversion.

This is very ironic.

Christopher Hitchens / Richard Dawkins, etc: soft-spoken, polite, dense but clear prose.

Rabbi Boteach / Dinesh D'Souza / Muslim Rage Boy / (Adolf Hitler), etc: shouts, ad hominems, pithy slogans.

But it's a very good tactic - if you make the unsubstantiated accusation that a group of people are whingers - they can't write in to complain about it.

102. Richard Dawkins on Talkback Radio

Comment #236796 by Szymanowski on August 25, 2008 at 10:35 am

geru: monkeys are not apes

103. US school district sued over homophobic 'witch hunt'

Comment #235283 by Szymanowski on August 22, 2008 at 4:15 pm

The American Civil Liberties Union successfully sued the district on behalf of a girl who protested against Principal David Davis, and a federal judge reprimanded Davis for conducting a "witch hunt" against gays. Davis was demoted

DEMOTED?!! He should be sacked and fined.

edit:

"Davis embarked on what can only be characterised as a 'witch hunt' to identify students who were homosexual and their supporters, further adding fuel to the fire," US District Judge Richard Smoak recounted in his ruling. "He went so far as to lift the shirts of female students to ensure the letters 'GP' or the words 'Gay Pride' were not written on their bodies."

Er, ok, scratch that. He should be imprisoned.

104. Free Will vs. the Programmed Brain

Comment #233797 by Szymanowski on August 20, 2008 at 12:18 pm

I don't see how my not having free will changes anything. If I steal 10$ from my employer, that I couldn't have done otherwise doesn't change the fact that I stole 10$ from my employer.

I often hear people who believe in free will say something like, "So you only did X because the physical processes in your brain made you do X". But this only shows their irrational attachment to the idea of a homunculus, an irreducible self that may or may not be controlled by physical processes. Of course that's nonsensical. It's not that I am controlled by the physical processes in my brain, it's that I am the physical processes in my brain.

My physical processes agree 100%.

105. Sincerity no substitute for evidence

Comment #233547 by Szymanowski on August 20, 2008 at 3:15 am

The other defence for these views on medicine is a conspiracy theory about "Big Pharma". Sorry, guys, there are large pharmaceutical companies out there because it costs hundreds of millions to develop a single drug. That's because they are rigorously tested for efficacy and safety. Profits go into more research.

In things like homeopathy, on the other hand, the drugs cost next to nothing to develop (because it's WATER) and I dare-say that a lot less efficacy testing goes on, because it would show them up. Safety testing is redundant (it's WATER). Profits go to the homeopaths.

Of course you're welcome to go find me a rich legitimate chemist, and I'll eat my hat.

106. Daniel Dennett's Darwinian Mind: An Interview with a 'Dangerous' Man

Comment #232714 by Szymanowski on August 18, 2008 at 2:18 pm

Well, if Dennett writes half as well as he has spoken in this interview, I'd be very interested in reading his books. Congrats to Chris Floyd for netting Dennett at least one more subscriber :)

107. Catholic leaders block contraceptive advice for 30,000 Scots girls

Comment #232709 by Szymanowski on August 18, 2008 at 2:11 pm

A VACCINE against cervical cancer will be given to schoolgirls without them receiving any safe sex advice as a result of a controversial deal struck between the Catholic Church and health officials, Scotland on Sunday can reveal.

I can't believe I'm reading this, it's just insane. Why would health officials even need to LISTEN to the Catholic Church?

108. Unintelligent Design

Comment #231908 by Szymanowski on August 17, 2008 at 9:59 am

Take, for instance, human memory, and the trouble we often have in remembering even the most basic facts -- where did we put our keys? Where did we park our car? Because our brains so often blur our memories together.

Nah, it's because of free will. Or something.

109. Religion out of medicine, a new message for Ontario doctors

Comment #231904 by Szymanowski on August 17, 2008 at 9:52 am

For example, he said a doctor might refuse to help a same-sex couple to use reproductive technology to have a child.

"There are a lot of doctors who feel uncomfortable with this and think it's detrimental to the child's welfare down the road.

Yeah, but I feel uncomfortable, because I think it's detrimental to everyone's welfare not to punch bigots in the face.

Still, I think doctors should be allowed to conscientiously object, to ward against potential slippery slopes (if you were a surgeon would you want to be forced by law to circumcise a child, for example?)

110. The God Delusion

Comment #230489 by Szymanowski on August 14, 2008 at 6:08 pm

Goodness me, I was hoping to see some comments on the ARTICLE, but instead, like most pages here now, it's turned into a combination of idle chit-chat and flame wars.

These kinds of exchanges are ruining the site for readers who aren't part of the standard cliques.
There is already a forum for irrelevant chats with online friends (go to the Off-Topic section). There is no place for flames and insults, which is quite right.

I don't mean to add to the flames and I realise I'm not a Mod but please try to see how you're damaging the site for public readers, and consider keeping your future article comments both relevant and civil.

111. Poll: Should the motto 'In God We Trust' be removed from U.S. currency?

Comment #230323 by Szymanowski on August 14, 2008 at 2:35 pm

Can someone explain to me what the phrase "patriotic significance" means, in relation to anything other than a national flag?! (or a Patriot missile...)

112. The rebellion of the child-brides

Comment #230235 by Szymanowski on August 14, 2008 at 1:08 pm

In contrast, grand unifications always leads to stagnation and single track thinking.

Well that's very interesting but I'm not sure about that sentence - it would surely depend on the type of unification. The United States of America and the European Union haven't got into single track thinking as far as I'm aware; rather, they are broadening in politics, religion and culture all the time (despite the rise in fundamentalist corners of the USA). [Anyway... I can't bullshit about history for more than ten minutes without revealing my ignorance...]

113. We need to stop being such cowards about Islam

Comment #229771 by Szymanowski on August 14, 2008 at 2:54 am

BFKate

Hari is untrustworthy because he picks fights because of it.

Examples?

Being a self publicist makes you untrustworthy and ALWAYS HAS.

You haven't substantiated that (sorry, using Caps Lock doesn't make things more true).

So this time his view aligns with mine SO WHAT? I have to give the guy my support? Fuck that. I like (strike that) I HAVE to trust that the people I support are worth supporting. Mouthing a couple of views that line up with mine doesn't make me fall in love with nasty little twats like Hari.

Who's asking you to "fall in love" with Hari? Isn't this discussion about whether to agree and support what this article says?

114. We need to stop being such cowards about Islam

Comment #229744 by Szymanowski on August 14, 2008 at 2:19 am

Eh? Since when did someone's egoism make his/her opinions untrustworthy?

And what in the article is an unsubstantiated opinion rather than a reasoned point?

115. The God Delusion

Comment #229380 by Szymanowski on August 13, 2008 at 1:26 pm

And for those most devoted followers, perhaps it says something more: for if you squint a little, from a metre or so away, the words "the" and "delusion" start to blur, and you are left with three words that spell out the greatest blasphemy of all: "Richard Dawkins: God".

You ain't seen nothing yet: try reading aloud the title of Alister McGrath's Dawkins' God.

But more seriously - "devoted followers" - wtf?

116. Evolution as Described by the Second Law of Thermodynamics

Comment #228874 by Szymanowski on August 12, 2008 at 4:44 pm

to describe evolution, and, in doing so, connect biology with physics

Eh? Biology was unconnected with physics before this paper?

/pedant

117. Richard Dawkins, the naive professor

Comment #226601 by Szymanowski on August 8, 2008 at 12:00 pm

The moment one of them found an ammonite on the beach, Professor Dawkins demanded instant atheism.

*puzzled* Were there two versions of this programme - the one that I watched, and the one that Libby Purves watched?

118. 10 Big Questions for Maverick Geneticist J. Craig Venter on America's Energy Future

Comment #223143 by Szymanowski on August 1, 2008 at 3:06 pm

Craig Venter r0x

@ Comment #223113

Yes, but do remember that artificial selection has been practised for thousands and thousands of years! This is engineering.

119. Vicar supports Life of Brian ban

Comment #222620 by Szymanowski on July 31, 2008 at 3:46 pm

"Making fun of Jesus Christ, whom I love more than my wife, in a film is going to offend me."

I think I've spent too long thinking of how to insert a reference to "I'M Brian, and so's my wife", so I'm not going to.

120. Vicar supports Life of Brian ban

Comment #222441 by Szymanowski on July 31, 2008 at 12:34 pm

Vicar supports Life of Brian ban

So what? Lots of people might support it - what qualifications does a VICAR have which make his views worthy of publicity?

(I need no answer either...)

"Making fun of Jesus Christ, whom I love more than my wife, in a film is going to offend me."

He worries about being offended, but this fucktard doesn't worry about offending his wife, through publicly stating that he prefers the company of an imaginary friend.

121. Is Killing Liberals a Hate Crime?

Comment #222436 by Szymanowski on July 31, 2008 at 12:32 pm

Well, obviously 'political affiliation' shouldn't garner less protection than 'religion'... but as above, the category of 'hate crime' makes no sense.

122. Kung poo panda 'The Sex Lives of Animals' exhibit digs deep.

Comment #222280 by Szymanowski on July 31, 2008 at 4:49 am

"The Sex Lives of Animals" exhibit digs deep.

I wish it had been called "The Sex Lives of non-Human Animals".

123. To beat extremism we must dissolve religious groups

Comment #222244 by Szymanowski on July 31, 2008 at 3:20 am

So-called religious community leaders, or umbrella groups of religious bodies, must of course be free to associate as they like in private, in a free country, but publicly they must be ignored.

Hear, hear... but then, the word 'dissolve' in the headline is more than a little bit misleading.

124. Obama Should Re-Think His Faith-Based Agenda

Comment #220426 by Szymanowski on July 28, 2008 at 12:22 pm

Well, he did refer to the Berlin wall explicitly.

People of the world - look at Berlin, where a wall came down, a continent came together, and history proved that there is no challenge too great for a world that stands as one.

125. Write to UCF

Comment #219250 by Szymanowski on July 26, 2008 at 2:18 pm

Steve Zara, "thought police" (!) aren't the same as people like RD, who merely want to insult stupidity, not prohibit it.

126. Historian predicts the end of 'science superpowers'

Comment #217686 by Szymanowski on July 24, 2008 at 2:30 pm

At least this kind of article should make science - not reality-denial - a more central part of the 'patriotic' American agenda :)

127. Cardinal accuses Anglican Communion of 'spiritual Alzheimer's'

Comment #217172 by Szymanowski on July 24, 2008 at 2:27 am

Several others have also seized upon the 'spiritual warfare' madness. I must admit that this was what struck me as the most barkingly crazy part of this bullshit. But a thought occurs. If this war with the devil began with the talking snake incident, how does the church square this with its acceptance of evolution and the re-casting of the snake as a metaphor? It's not at all clear from this article that the cardinal is using an extended metaphor (if that's what he's doing). Leaving aside the oxymoronic reference to "well-known secret" sects (I wonder if he means 'Spectre' from the James Bond movies; surely he doesn't have Opus Dei in mind. What is it with Catholics and conspiracy theories? If it's not the Jews it's the Secularists!), I would add that it's not just the obviously delusional and irrational who argue along these lines. Alister McGrath likes to imagine himself to be a soldier in the armies of God, battling Satan's great persuaders (Dawkins et al). There's a footnote to this effect in his (awful) flea book. When they're resorting to this sort of deluded hyperbole and bullshit I like to think it's because they're getting desperate...

It's not hyperbole to them - they genuinely believe that the purported immortal, all-powerful Creator cares about each of them, and watches over them, etc. They are supposedly important beings at the centre of the universe. It's a powerful delusion which causes subjects to plug their ears with their fingers while shouting, 'LALALALALALA', a symptom you can clearly see in the Cardinal's behaviour.

128. Richard Dawkins on Al Jazeera English

Comment #216369 by Szymanowski on July 23, 2008 at 4:02 am

I was interested that the caller said "I am a Muslim so I believe in Adam, peace be upon him", etc.

When your identity defines which parts of reality you accept and which you deny, you're probably a lost cause...

129. Surgeon General Nominee Dismisses Homosexuality Paper

Comment #216352 by Szymanowski on July 23, 2008 at 2:25 am

Of course this is the same Aitken who found Jesus in prison

What was Jesus doing in prison?

130. Losing Sight of Progress

Comment #215482 by Szymanowski on July 22, 2008 at 2:09 am

This isn't macroevolution, it's adaptation

:D

The salamanders haven't given birth to eagles, they're still salamanders!!!!1111one!

131. Surgeon General Nominee Dismisses Homosexuality Paper

Comment #215200 by Szymanowski on July 21, 2008 at 1:26 pm

told him to mention the ~~president's~~ Dear Leader's name at least three times on every page of his public remarks

Fixed

Holsinger said yesterday that his views had evolved and that the issues he raised in the paper would not be relevant in public health discussions today.

Better than nothing, but shouldn't he admit that he had lied?

132. Richard Dawkins slaps creationists into the primordial soup

Comment #213875 by Szymanowski on July 19, 2008 at 6:43 am

The Dawkins on Darwin programme - note who gets the first namecheck

Note who doesn't, now that the title has been changed at RD's request (before this article was printed, actually).

oops, I've been pre-empted in comment #213851

133. Calling World Conference on Dialogue a Symbol of Unity Among Different Traditions

Comment #213640 by Szymanowski on July 18, 2008 at 5:44 pm

The UN is a joke. See human rights enforcement [or lack thereof] in member states...

134. Ten Commandments' of race and genetics issued

Comment #213610 by Szymanowski on July 18, 2008 at 4:41 pm

1. All races are created equal

I guess this means that all races should be entitled to equal rights and treatment in society and law... otherwise, the words 'created' and 'equal' are just, well, nonsensical.

135. PLEASE WRITE IN SUPPORT OF PZ MYERS

Comment #210175 by Szymanowski on July 14, 2008 at 3:51 am

Oh, this is hilarious (the cracker thing).

It is hard to think of anything more vile than to intentionally desecrate the Body of Christ.

I can think of many more vile acts than 'desecrating' a cracker; splitting an unnecessary infinitive, for example.

136. IT'S A GODDAMNED CRACKER!

Comment #206964 by Szymanowski on July 9, 2008 at 3:07 am

Well, I think even in person the insults would be hard to avoid in this particular case! And those who have made death threats absolutely deserve those insults.

137. IT'S A GODDAMNED CRACKER!

Comment #206952 by Szymanowski on July 9, 2008 at 2:48 am

Hang on...

EVERYONE who takes Eucharist walks out with a cracker. What difference does it make if it hasn't been swallowed?

Mmmm. Can I bat for the opposition for a minute?

You are an anthropologist studying a native tribe[...]

My postcolonialist PC-sensors are on red alert... don't you think it's a little condescending to "study" a "native" tribe, from a safe distance?! (we Brits did all that in the 1950s anyway)

138. Sir John M. Templeton, Philanthropist, Dies at 95

Comment #206648 by Szymanowski on July 8, 2008 at 3:49 pm

He sounds like a nice guy.

139. Landlords protest after pub swearing ban gets them sacked

Comment #206638 by Szymanowski on July 8, 2008 at 3:38 pm

'Landlord' in this context means 'pub manager'. Pubs are often owned by breweries, which have control of which beers are sold. Brewery-independent pubs are called "free houses".

In other contexts in the UK 'landlord' has the normal definition of a property owner who leases property.

140. Atheism on the buses

Comment #206628 by Szymanowski on July 8, 2008 at 3:18 pm

Just a word of explanation... All of this started out as a rather far-fetched but sweet idea in a column on The Guardian's website by Ariane Sherine. There was no strategy, no campaign.

I liked the idea, made the pledge on PledgeBank, and made the bus mockup image. Since then things have, well, spread rather widely.

Good for you.

~~What happens to the money if this project falls through?~~

EDIT: I thought it was a donations site, but it's merely a 'pledge' site. A better question would be: how do you gather the money when all pledges are made?!

141. The Boundaries of Belief

Comment #205123 by Szymanowski on July 6, 2008 at 4:03 pm

It may well be that some atheists, lacking the requisite fear of hell, find it amusing to maliciously waste a pollster's time

*whistles casually*

142. Why I Won't Debate Creationists

Comment #204763 by Szymanowski on July 5, 2008 at 5:52 pm

Yep, that's a great article, and the first comment is suitably amusing!

143. New Zealand man sells his soul to 'Hell'

Comment #203783 by Szymanowski on July 3, 2008 at 2:58 pm

That's pretty cheap marketing. A good ruse by both buyer and seller.

144. New British Petition: Stop the Nightmares

Comment #191990 by Szymanowski on June 12, 2008 at 9:07 am

Even if it IS causing negative long-term effects on the mental health of all the exposed children (and it clearly isn't), this sort of thing is NOT the business of government or law.

But some will only understand the importance of free speech when it's gone.

145. New British Petition: Stop the Nightmares

Comment #191773 by Szymanowski on June 11, 2008 at 4:38 pm

Ergh, that's a horrible petition. "Harassment"?! Only if people are not free to walk away.

He who would trade liberty, etc.

146. Opponents of Evolution Adopting a New Strategy

Comment #188992 by Szymanowski on June 5, 2008 at 6:49 am

Doh - thanks notsobad, that's more likely to be what they mean by "chemical evolution" isn't it!

147. Opponents of Evolution Adopting a New Strategy

Comment #188893 by Szymanowski on June 4, 2008 at 11:53 pm

Re. #188836 by rod_the_farmer...

Whilst all "evolution" could be broadly defined as being within "biology", natural selection purely of molecular replicators (polynucleotides which themselves aren't "alive" or even part of "live" organisms), which could be discussed relating to the origins of life, might just be worthy of the "chemistry" designation, no?

... but perhaps I give the fundies too much credit. Hilarious that they claim the bill is about 'critical thinking skills' when it's actually about utterly uncritical faith skills.

148. Character Attacks: How to Properly Apply the Ad Hominem

Comment #188780 by Szymanowski on June 4, 2008 at 2:17 pm

Character Attacks: How to Properly Apply the Ad Hominem

This article must be rubbish, because the author improperly splits infinitives.

149. Opponents of Evolution Adopting a New Strategy

Comment #188778 by Szymanowski on June 4, 2008 at 2:13 pm

DALLAS �" Opponents of teaching evolution, in a natural selection of sorts, have gradually shed those strategies that have not survived the courts. Over the last decade, creationism has given rise to "creation science," which became "intelligent design,"...

The article neglects to mention cdesign proponentsists :)

150. Ben Stein 1, Yoko Ono 0 in 'Expelled' copyright spat

Comment #188775 by Szymanowski on June 4, 2008 at 2:10 pm

This is not fair use, whatever the Judge says. The sentiments expressed in the song (i.e. those which were criticized) are by no means unique to it. The poetic scheme and its setting in music is what makes the song the song, yet that wasn't "critiqued" in the film at all.